Oligospermia (low amount of sperm in the semen) or azoospermia (no measurable amount of sperm in the semen) are medical conditions that are responsible for up to 20% of infertility situations in males. Semen quality may be measured in a number of ways. The total number of motile spermatozoa or total motile sperm count (TMSC) is regarded as one of the sperm characteristics most closely related to pregnancy. A semen analysis typically measures the number of sperm per millilitre of ejaculate, and analyses the morphology and motility of the sperm. The typical ejaculate of a healthy, physically mature young adult male of reproductive age with no fertility-related problems usually contains 300-500 million spermatozoa, though only a couple hundred survive in the acidic environment of the vagina to be candidates for successful fertilization. Other parameters reflective of semen quality are the concentration of white blood cells, the level of fructose in the semen, and the volume, pH, and liquefaction time of the ejaculate. A number of factors may influence the accuracy of semen analysis results, and results for a single man may have a large amount of natural variation over time. There has been evidence for a general decline in sperm counts in Europe and the USA between 1983 and 1990.
To date no clinically documented and officially approved treatment exists for the improvement of semen quality. Instead, microsurgical procedures or in vitro fecundation with the semen from the subject or with donor semen are often the only alternatives offered to subjects suffering from low semen quality. Thus there is a need for methods of improving semen quality without surgery so that men in need thereof may conceive children.